Audio amplifiers (or amps) are a necessary component of any sound system. A quiet source signal (such as those produced by mp3 players, cd players, tuners, and phonographs) must be amplified significantly to drive a speaker to produce sounds over 100 decibels.
Amps must distribute large amounts of power, and generate significant heat as a result. For this reason, amps frequently have heat dissipation systems integrated into their chassis. Although heat dissipation is an issue for rack or cabinet amps, it presents even greater challenges in portable amplifiers.
Portable amps are needed in any application where portability is desired—however, they are most frequently seen in automotive sound system applications. Factory automobile sound systems come with a head unit with a built-in amp and speakers. These components are typically of low quality, with the head unit amp producing 10 watts per channel or less. This results in poor sound quality, limited volume capability, distortion, and frequent speaker blowouts. Aftermarket head units are better, and have built-in amps typically producing around 20 watts per channel. However, if a motorist wants a sound system capable of truly high volume that is not prone to damaging expensive aftermarket speakers, they must opt for a standalone amp which can generate 100 watts per channel or more.
These portable amps are typically located in the trunk of the vehicle, and are typically mounted to the floor of the trunk. They take up significant space and need to be specially designed to not overheat or generate hot spots that will damage other objects in the trunk. They must also be rugged enough to withstand the g-forces, jarring, and collisions with objects that they will endure in an automotive environment. Furthermore, since the trunk has limited floor space (particularly if other audio equipment is present), a user is usually limited to one amp at most.
There remains a need in the art for a portable amplifier that takes up less trunk space (particularly in a footprint dimension) while remaining durable, powerful, and having excellent heat management.